China Slams Brakes on New Autonomous Vehicle Licenses
Beijing freezes Level 4 self-driving permits after Baidu robotaxis caused traffic chaos in Wuhan.
China has hit pause on issuing new Level 4 autonomous vehicle licenses. The freeze comes after a messy incident involving Baidu's Apollo Go robotaxi fleet in Wuhan last month.
More than 100 of Baidu's self-driving taxis reportedly disrupted traffic in the city, prompting regulators to pull back. The suspension covers new license approvals nationwide, according to sources familiar with the decision.
Level 4 autonomy means vehicles can handle virtually all driving tasks without human intervention in defined areas. China had been aggressively expanding robotaxi deployments, with Baidu leading the charge through Apollo Go — one of the world's largest commercial autonomous ride-hailing operations.
The move signals Beijing is willing to pump the brakes on its self-driving ambitions when safety and public order concerns stack up. No word yet on when new approvals might resume.